A/RES/51/104
Page 3
Recalling that it is within the responsibility of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights to coordinate relevant United Nations
education and public information programmes in the field of human rights,
1.
Takes note with appreciation of the report of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights on the implementation of the Plan of Action
for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education,6 and of the report
of the Secretary-General on the development of public information activities
in the field of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign
on Human Rights;7
2.
Welcomes the steps taken by Governments, intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations to implement the Plan of Action, as indicated
in the report of the High Commissioner;
3.
Urges all Governments to inform their communities about the World
Public Information Campaign on Human Rights and the Decade and to contribute
further to the implementation of the Plan of Action, in particular by
establishing, in accordance with national conditions, broadly representative
national committees for human rights education and training centres for human
rights education or, where such bodies exist, to strengthen them to work
towards the elaboration and implementation of an action-oriented national plan
for information and education in human rights;
4.
Also urges Governments to encourage, support and involve national
and local non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations in
the implementation of their national action plans;
5.
Appeals to Governments, in accordance with their national
conditions, to accord priority to the dissemination in their relevant national
and local languages of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,1 the
International Covenants on Human Rights2 and other human rights instruments,
human rights materials and training manuals, as well as reports of States
parties under the human rights treaties, and to provide information and
education in those languages on the practical ways in which national and
international institutions and procedures may be utilized to ensure the
effective implementation of those instruments;
6.
Welcomes the efforts made by the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights, together with the Department of Public Information of the
Secretariat to increase cooperation with the media, including by the provision
of timely and relevant information on human rights issues;
7.
Urges the Department of Public Information to continue to utilize
United Nations information centres for the timely dissemination, within their
designated areas of activity, of basic information, reference and audio-visual
materials on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the reports of
States parties under human rights instruments and, to this end, to ensure that
the information centres are supplied with adequate quantities of those
materials;
6
A/51/506, annex.
7
A/51/558.
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